Christie’s Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits auction took place 2 and 3 December in London and realised a total of £7,629,753, the highest ever for the category at Christie’s.
The auction achieved sell-through rates of 95% by lot and 98% by value and witnessed global participation from 27 countries, across 4 continents, with spirited bidding in the room, on the telephone and online over the course of the two day sale.
The auction was highlighted by the evening session – Treasures from a Rediscovered Chalk Cellar. This remarkable collection, which comes with superb provenance, was mostly purchased by the owner between 1969-1988 and had remained untouched for nearly two decades in a chalk cellar in the Surrey Downs. The top lot of the auction, and highlighting this collection was Lot 544, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1971 (11 bottles per lot, illustrated above), which realised £269,500 / $358,166 / €316,124. Lot 547, Lot 549 and Lot 550, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1990 (6 bottles per lot) sold for £208,250 / $276,764 / €244,277 an auction record for this fabled vintage.
Noah May, Head of Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department: “Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department are delighted to complete the 2021 season in London with a superb set of auction results. The sale achieved £7,629,753 / $ 10,139,942 / €8,949,700, the highest ever total for a Christie’s Wine auction globally, with sell-through rates of 95% by lot and 98% by value. The “Treasures from a Rediscovered Chalk Cellar” evening sale was 100% sold, and realised a total of £3,556,396 / $4,726,450 / €4,171,653, more than double the pre-sale low estimate. Multiple world records were broken, including those for Domaine de La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1962 and 1971, and for Quinta do Noval 1931. A collection of rarities from Champagne Perrier Jouët was 100% sold, with the highlight, an extremely rare bottle of Perrier Jouët 1874, achieving a record price of £42,875. Spirits performed very well too, including a magnificent bottle of Springbank 1919 50 Year Old selling for £183,750. The sale was a testament to the strength and sophistication of the market for fine wines and spirits, and the fantastic team work at Christie’s.”
An exceptional collection of vintage cuvées from Maison Perrier-Jouët were presented for sale, including bespoke experiences at the home of the illustrious Champagne House in Epernay. The offering was led by Lot 288, the Perrier-Jouët Brut Millésimé 1874 (1 bottle per lot), which realised £42,875 / $56,981 / €50,292, an auction record for a bottle of champagne sold at Christie’s. This sale marks a renewal of ties between Christie’s and Maison Perrier-Jouët dating back to 1888, when Christie’s sold a bottle of this legendary vintage, setting a new benchmark at the time for the most expensive champagne ever sold at auction.
From the spirits offering, Lot 945, a bottle of the historic Springbank 1919 50 Year Old from the collection of Le Clos (Dubai International Airport) realised £183,750 / $244,204 / €215,539, while Lot 952, three exceptional casks of Single Malt from the Ardross Distillery, Northern Highlands achieved £245,000 / $325,605 / €287,385.
Further records were established throughout the sale for:
- Lot 551, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1962 (1 magnum per lot) – £73,500 / $97,683 / €86,216
- Lot 552 and Lot 553, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1971 (12 bottles per lot) – £183,750 / $244,204 / €215,539
- Lot 546, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1985 (6 bottles per lot) – £140,875 / $187,223 / €165,246Lot 559, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1985 (10 bottles per lot) – £79,625 / $105,822 / €93,400
- Lot 569, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Echézeaux 1985 (12 bottles per lot) – £61,250 / $81,401 / €71,846
- Lot 570, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Echézeaux 1990 (6 bottles per lot) – £46,550 / $61,865 / €54,603
- Lot 575, Comte Georges de Vogüé, Bonnes Mares 1985 (12 bottles per lot) – £11,638 / $15,467 / €13,651
- Lot 584, Comtes Lafon, Meursault Charmes 1989 (12 bottles per lot) – £9,188 / $12,211 / €10,778
- Lot 625, Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1967 (2 bottles per lot) – £8,575 / $11,396 / €10,058
- Lot 632, Sassicaia 1968 (3 bottles per lot) – £5,513 / $7,327 / €6,467
- Lot 636, Dow 1927 (2 bottles per lot) – £2,695 / $3,582 / €3,161
- Lot 644, Croft 1960 (12 bottles per lot) – £1,348 / $1,791 / €1,581
- Lot 637, Quinta do Noval,1931 (9 bottles per lot) – £98,000 / $73,740 / €83,546
- Lot 689, Penfolds, Grange Hermitage 1952 (1 bottle per lot) – £17,150 / $22,792 / €20,117
Lots 1 to 79 of the auction were offered on behalf of Decanter Magazine and are drawn from the sample bottles submitted to their 2021 World Wine Awards. The collection realised a total of £89,070 / $118,374 / €104,479, with proceeds to benefit WaterAid, Change Please, Cancer Research UK, The Drinks Trust and The Decanter 360 Apprenticeship.
News from the hospitality and catering industry is also being featured extensively in our Facebook and twitter social media accounts with the opportunity to engage with others in hospitality and share your views.
Hospitality & Catering News: Christie’s latest ‘Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits’ auction breaks records. – 6 December 2021 – Christie’s latest ‘Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits’ auction breaks records.
Copyright: All content in Hospitality & Catering News is protected by copyright